John Francis Springall, 77, is accused of abusing girls

A MAN of 77 described in court as 'an ingrained paedophile' has gone on trial for allegedly sexually abusing young girls in Plymouth nearly 40 years ago.

White-haired John Francis Springall faces eight charges of indecent assault on four girls aged four to 14 over a five-year period between 1969 and 1974.

Robert Linford, prosecuting, told Plymouth Crown Court that the girls, now middle-aged women, began to come forward following a report in the local press about Springall's conviction for possessing hundreds of images of children being abused.

Mr Linford said: "In the late 1960s and early 1970s, this man, then in his forties, systematically sexually abused four young girls.

"His vile abuse of those girls has had psychological effects on some which has lasted to this day.
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"He would touch them indecently and get them to touch him. That was how, back then, he was getting his kicks."

Mr Linford described how, 'comparatively recently', police had raided Springall's home at Anthony Gardens, Pennycross.

They found hundreds of images of child abuse, some dating back to the 1970s and some he had recently downloaded from the internet 'and retained for his own perverted sexual gratification', the court heard.

Mr Linford added: "He was then, and is now, a through-and-through, ingrained paedophile."

The jury of six men and six women heard Mr Linford describe in graphic detail what the women alleged Springall had done to them, including taking pictures of two of the girls.

"He denies anything inappropriate and has denied any sexual interest in children at all, or appeared to," Mr Linford said.

"The fact of the matter is that when left in a house with young girls, he would do whatever he wanted with them to satisfy his own revolting urges."

The trial is expected to last for three days.

This is Plymouth